James “Jim” West passed on September 26, 2025, after a lengthy stay in the CCU at Baptist Health in Elizabethtown, followed by a longer stay in the ICU at Norton’s Audubon Hospital in Louisville. He had been sick for quite a while. However, even in his illness, his passing was somewhat unexpected at this time. He had no life insurance or savings for final arrangements.

Kathy Scott and I are trying to generate some donations to help his family pay for his funeral & burial expenses.

He was an incredible man and will be missed by many. He was a doting husband and best friend for 34 years to Lori, a dedicated and loving father, an involved grandfather, and one of the most giving, loyal, selfless men I’ve ever known. He loved spending time with his family more than anything, and his grandchildren flocked to him.

He was a veteran of the US Army, a talented carpenter, and an active & long-time member of First Christian Church, where he had never ending faith in & love for the Lord.

At an already devastating & grief stricken time, Lori is faced with paying the balance of the bill, in full, to Manakee Funeral Home, within 30 days of his service.

Not only did she lose his income in their two income household, but she also lost her income unexpectedly. Only five days after burying her beloved husband, she was notified that she was no longer employed by the place she had worked for 12 years…this was while she was still in a very fragile state from losing the love of her life…this termination of her employment was less than a week after burying Jim…I repeat, less than a week after burying Jim. So in addition to having a large outstanding amount of money due almost immediately, she has lost all income. She still has a home to maintain along with the regular daily expenses that we all have.

Any amount, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. All money collected will go to pay on the outstanding balance due at Manakee’s. Donations can be made here on GoFundMe, or they may also be made directly to Manakee Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.

Even if you cannot donate monetarily, you can still help by sharing this & getting it out there circulating for others to see and share.

Finally, please remember the entire West family in your thoughts & prayers. Pray for them to find comfort during this most difficult time, along with some solutions to their responsibility for paying this amount of several thousand dollars by the beginning of November. Anything you can do is appreciated in advance. Please share, share, share this. Thank you.